Agents off campuses? Good luck, NCAA

Posted on: March 25, 2009 7:10 pm

Edited on: March 25, 2009 7:28 pm

The NCAA claims it's looking into the problem of agents on college campuses, an issue thrust into the spotlight this week because of a Yahoo! Sports story alleging an improper relationship between Jim Calhoun's Connecticut staff, a one-time recruit and an agent who also happens to be a former UConn manager.

If they look hard enough, what they'll find -- if they haven't already found it -- is that many of the "runners" working for agents in this era are former players or managers from elite college programs, and the reason is simple, because few coaches will shut their doors on a former player or manager, which means former players and managers have unique access to future draft picks. You see, it might look bad if a runner is hanging out after practice, taking players to dinner, buying beers, etc. But if that runner happens to be a former player or manager -- particularly a former player or manager who recently graduated -- then there's a natural disguise, and from the outside all anybody sees is a former player still hanging with his old teammates, or a former manager staying connected with his old program.

In reality, the former player or manager is employed by an agency.

So he's on the take.

And then when he takes care of the current players, they're on the take, too.

And then when the current players enter the NBA Draft, they go with the agency of the former player or manager.

And this is why it'll be impossible -- and if not impossible, then really, really difficult -- for the NCAA to keep agents and runners off of campuses, because college coaches can look in the mirror and tell themselves they're not doing anything wrong if all they're doing is letting former players or managers hang around their current players or recruits. Likewise, they pretend they're not really letting agents and runners into their program, just former players and managers. And that's a fine way to look at it ... right up until the point when it blows up, at which time you might find yourself heading into a Sweet 16 answering questions about a former manager who's bound to have your program on NCAA probation, and sooner rather than later.

Agents off campuses? Good luck, NCAA

"Williams is a complete whiner who can't even recruit in his own backyard."

The biggest recruit ever in Connecticut was Marcus Camby from East Hartford. He signed with Umass causing Calhoun and the rest of you whiners to hate John Calipari and cancel a series that was a New England tradition.

Since: Jul 24, 2007

Posted on: March 26, 2009 7:23 pm

Agents off campuses? Good luck, NCAA

TZ are you CraZy? Calhoun is notorious for his many ways around the rules. He suspends players as long as it won't effect winning. He finds ways to keep players around if they're good, ie. AJ Price when he was charged with felony theft. Calhoun's only concern is winning. If you don't think (from reading the Yahoo article) that Calhoun is guilty, then you can't read, or are too blinded as a UCONN fan to see what's right in front of you.

Since: Mar 25, 2007

Posted on: March 26, 2009 5:50 pm

Agents off campuses? Good luck, NCAA

My response is to comments not Parrish blog.

Since: Feb 2, 2009

Posted on: March 26, 2009 5:50 pm

Agents off campuses? Good luck, NCAA

Perhaps we should wait until all the evidence is in. You already have Calhoun drawn and quatered, and we don't een know if he had any contact with Nochimson or if he even knew about Nochimson's relation to Nate Miles.

As it turns out, UConn appears to have already received punishment from the NCAA in terms of Ater Majok's eligibility--he won't be eligible to play until after the fall semester of this year. As for Miles, he isn't even at UConn and never even practised with the team. He's long gone after violating a restrainig order.

As far as punishments for the UConn program, since neither Miles nor Majok has played at UConn, their participation, or lack thereof, is moot. Wins and titles can't be forfeited since no ineligible players have been in any of the games. The punishment, whatever it may be, or if it even happens at all, should be related recruiting. However, I think that UConn has already been punished through a delay in approving Miles' and Majok's eligibility

One reason the NCAA is investigating this situation is that they cannot be seen as condoning improper behavior--even though they've already investigated Miles and Majok and their relationship to Nochimson.

As for Calhoun being sleazy, Calhoun typically suspends players who violate school or team rules. Doug Wiggins, a talented player but a habitual troublemaker, was encouraged by Calhoun to seek greener pastures after last season. He went to UMass, but was kicked off the team (he wasn't even eligible for this season). Doug Wrenn, another talented player but a major behavioral problem, was asked by Calhoun to leave and ended up playing for Romar at Washington. In Richard Hamilton's freshman year, Kirk King, a senior, lost his entire season for, I think, making long distance phone calls from the UConn athletic office; that same year, Ricky Moore was suspended for several games for, I think, accepting airplane fare from someone connected with the university. A.J. Price, whose play has lifted UConn to the Sweet 16, was suspended from school for a year after the laptop incident (the university's punishment, not Calhoun's). How about Rashad Anderson who, as a freshman, was charged with mischief after scaring people on a path through campus on Halloween with a rubber mask and a rubber knife. Jerome Dyson was suspended last season for failing a drug test (marijuana). OK, now that we've gone through Calhouns failings (what did he have to do with any of these things?), are there any other programs that have had players whose behavior has been less than stellar, players who have been suspended for games or for entire seasons, or worse? I suspect so. . . . I'm thinking of Baylor.

Since: Mar 25, 2007

Posted on: March 26, 2009 5:48 pm

Agents off campuses? Good luck, NCAA

Another jab at Memphis!

Wow it is amazing how Memphis is everybody's whipping post.

Penny Hardway was from Memphis and grew up a Tiger fan, that is why he went there. Coach Cal is a great recruiter, he sold the top talent on his dribble drive offense and his past NBA experience and now he has results with many past players in the NBA. A kid who is a Senior in High School, take John Wall, only knows Memphis wins 30 plus games a year and has gone to the Elite 8 or Final 4 since the kid has been in High School. That fact is what old guys don't realize, kids don't give a flip that Kentucky has a long tradition all they know is Kentucky played in the NIT and Memphis is still playing. Now I'm taking a jab at Kentucky, sorry about that you could put Florida in there or Indiana or others..

Since: Mar 29, 2007

Posted on: March 26, 2009 3:22 pm

Agents off campuses? Good luck, NCAA

Just wait u fatazz. I heard in Mike & Mike, that cheater-alhoun did the same thing with another MD leaning player (6'10" Major). Apparantly the kid was coming to MD, until CON's runner start throwing money around. It's now involving more players and more cheating. I hope they take wins and ban cheating CON permanent ban. YOU ARE DOOMED. It's called Karma being a biatch.

Since: Feb 22, 2007

Posted on: March 26, 2009 11:04 am

Agents off campuses? Good luck, NCAA

Williams is a complete whiner who can't even recruit in his own backyard. Nice game against Memphis. You guys got spanked and embarassed.

Since: Mar 4, 2009

Posted on: March 26, 2009 9:47 am

Agents off campuses? Good luck, NCAA

Because Duke is the *only* and most *egregious* right? :)

Give me a break....have an original thought...

Since: Mar 29, 2007

Posted on: March 26, 2009 9:38 am

Agents off campuses? Good luck, NCAA

I'm glad Calhoun got caught, and they throw the book at him. It's unfair when he cheats and others dont. We have goody self-righteous coach, that plays by the book. yeah, that's great, but when others are cheating, we lose out on top recruits. I know Gary Williams was upset when we lost Rudy Gay to cheating Calhoun. Because Gay wasn't AAU guy like others we lost like Carmelo,et al. Everyone here knew Calhoun cheats, and even Williams "alluded" that he was beat out by cheating coach. Obviously he didn't come out and said it in our face, but we all knew what he meant.

Since: Feb 17, 2009

Posted on: March 26, 2009 9:24 am

Jay Williams

When is it going to come out about him being an "rep" for a west coast agent shop....... arranging 250,000 "donations" to AAU program of Kevin Love.

Nothing will come of it........he's Duke.

Just as nothing came of Cory Megette/Myron Piggee agent/AAU scum payments. Or fake jobs for unqualified people paid by companies run by Duke boosters for Boozer and Duhans dad and mom. And new cars for Duhans mom, whose house was in foreclosure or near foreclosure............ move to Durham and all is suddenly well.